ALEXANDER Community Development (ACD’s) has secured funding from McLaughin & Harvey to provide 24 secondary school pupils with construction training.
The training will come in ACD’s transition to trade programme, with places being made available to S3-S5 pupils in Dundee. McLaughin & Harvey will contribute towards the majority of the costs of the 24 places.
Funding has also been secured from the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU). Part of Police Scotland and supported by the Scottish Government, the SVRU uses a public health approach to reducing violence in the country.
Inspector Catherine Lannen, who heads up the unit’s work in Tayside, said, “Transition to trade is a great project which gives young people in Dundee the chance to gain practical skills, work experience and crucially confidence in their own abilities. We are delighted to support Alexander Community Development on this exciting initiative which offers young people a sense of hope for their future opportunities.”
ACD said that the two pots of funding will ‘significantly’ reduce the cost of the programme for schools in the city and ensure that those who deserve a place, get a place. One of the main aims of the initiative is to remove some of the barriers that young people face – such as not having the required qualifications for jobs, or experiencing challenging home circumstances.
The six-week programme will see candidates build their knowledge in general workplace health and safety as well as developing practical skills. The work will lead to the candidates gaining qualifications which ACD said will allow them to go directly into employment.
The pupils will also undergo training in mindset, confidence, and goal setting, as well as developing the practical skills required to work within the construction industry.
Following completion of the training, the pupils will participate in a large scale design and build project which will see them test their newly developed skills to revamp a building within their local community.
Seamus Devlin, civil engineering director at McLaughin and Harvey, said, “McLaughlin and Harvey are delighted to be the first main contractor currently working in Dundee to support Alexanders Community Development’s ‘transition to trade’ project. This project offers young people a unique insight into a career in the trades while helping them develop a range of transferrable skills and positive work ethic which future employers will value.”
School pupils in Dundee can register an interest in the programme by speaking with their DYW coordinator/Skills Development Scotland coordinator or their guidance teacher.
